In earth-moving operations with the aid of excavators of the kind equipped with a boom mounted for pivotal movement in a vertical plane on the support of a basic machine, with a bucket support arm pivotally mounted at the outer end of the boom to support at its outer end a digging bucket which is pivotally mounted thereon and detachable from the support arm, and possibly with a rocker arm which is mounted for pivotal movement in a vertical plane and the outer end of which supports a drag bucket with the aid of a line, said drag bucket arranged to be hauled in, with the aid of a second line, towards a winch which is arranged on the basic machine, certain ground conditions and deep excavations quite simply make it impossible to stretch the line leading to the winch. For instance, a heap of earth situated close to the basic machine could impede the hauling-in of the line with the aid of the winch and thus make it impossible to operate the drag bucket correctly.